Francisco Chavez

On February 12, 2014, Francisco Chavez was sentenced to 5 years and 10 months in jail and ordered to pay $1.7 million in restitution after pleading guilty to health care fraud.

On August 30, 2013, Chavez arrived at Atlanta International Airport under the custody of U.S. Marshals Service and then transferred to Miami. Chavez previously fled the United States, but was arrested on narcotics charges at the Barajas Airport in Spain. U.S. authorities worked with the Spanish Government to have him extradited to the United States to face health care charges stemming from his indictment.

In February 2011, Chavez was indicted on charges of Health Care Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Criminal Forfeiture. Chavez is believed to have submitted more than $11 million in claims to Medicare for durable medical equipment that was never provided to Medicare beneficiaries.

Chavez was the president and registered agent of World Class Medical Services, Corporation, a durable medical equipment company based in Miami, Florida, that sold supplies such as pressure support ventilators, standard motorized wheelchairs, and enteral formula. According to court documents, Chavez fraudulently obtained and used medical doctors' Unique Physician Identification Numbers to bill Medicare for durable medical equipment that was never provided.

Investigators believe that from March through August 2006, World Class submitted more than $11 million in claims to Medicare for durable medical equipment supplies. As a result, World Class was paid approximately $1.7 million by Medicare. However, beneficiaries complained that they never received any of the items billed to Medicare by World Class.